The High Court of Justice has partially accepted the State´s motion
to postpone the demolition of two illegal structures in Beit El and
gave the State Prosecutor´s office a two-month extension to examine
the issue.

Just two days after the State said it was reassessing its policy
mandating the demolition of unauthorized Jewish homes built on
private Palestinian land the West Bank, the Prosecutor´s Office told
the High Court of Justice the policy has not changed and that all
illegal Jewish structures would be removed.

During Sunday´s hearing on the State´s request to postpone the
demolition of two unfinished homes in Beit El, Attorney Osnat Mandel
from the Prosecutor´s Office said the policy of razing illegal
structures was intact and that the State was merely asking the court
for a three-month extension to further examine the issue.

A petition filed in 2008 by the Yesh Din human rights group on behalf
of Abdul Rahman Ahmed Qassem claimed that the unfinished homes in
Beit El were built on his property and must therefore be razed. In
April 2011 the State announced its plan to demolish the structures
within a year, but just before the year was up it asked to postpone
the razing until May 31. On Friday the State asked for another three-
month extension, claiming Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needed to
study the case further.

During Sunday´s hearing, Supreme Court President Asher Grunis and
justices Edna Arbel and Yoram Danzinger determined that a ruling on
the matter would be issued at a later date.

During the hearing Arbel asked Attorney Mandel whether the State
plans to change its razing policy. The attorney said in response that
the policy was intact, but added that the political establishment was
looking to set the priorities for the implementation of this
policy. "All the State is asking for is a three-month extension to
set up a special task force to examine the issue," she said.